Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s COVID-19 caseload on Thursday breached the 21,000-mark as the state reported its highest single-day spike of 1,264 new cases, while the death toll reached 114 with six more patients succumbing to the disease, a Health Department official said.
With 1,264 fresh infections, the number of cases in the state rose to 21,099. A total of 540 cases were reported from Ganjam district, a coronavirus hotspot, followed by 137 in Khurda.
“Regret to inform the demise of six COVID positive patients while under treatment in hospitals,” the Health Department tweeted.
Of the six new fatalities which include two women, five were reported from Ganjam district and one from Khurda, the official said.
The number of active cases in the state is now 6,561 while 14,393 patients have recovered from the disease.
In the last 24 hours, 11,010 swab samples were tested for COVID-19, taking the total number of samples tested so far to 4,21,931, the official said.
Of the total 114 deaths in the state, Ganjam tops the chart with 67 casualties followed by Khurda with 15, Cuttack with nine and Gajapati with six. The remaining 17 fatalities were reported from 11 other districts.
Ganjam District Magistrate V A Kulange appealed to people not to panic over high detection of positive cases. He said door-to-door surveillance helped detect more cases.
“This will help check transmission of the disease by isolating positive cases and providing them treatment at the proper time,” Kulange said.
With the detection of 540 new cases, the caseload of Ganjam district has increased to 6,902, of which 2,754 are active.
Meanwhile, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Health and Family Welfare P K Mohapatra termed the surge in COVID-19 cases in the state as a temporary phenomenon.
The coronavirus situation in Odisha is “much better” than other states, Mohapatra told reporters.
“During the last few days, it is found that COVID positive cases are increasing in the state. But the general public need not panic. It is because of intensified house-to-house survey and testing of symptomatic people,” he said.
“The state is literally chasing the virus from house to house through the survey in hotspot areas,” he said.
While appealing to people with symptoms to come forward for the test, Mohapatra said the fight against coronavirus can be strengthened if early detection of cases can be done and necessary treatment begins timely.
As COVID treatment through plasma therapy has yielded significant results, he said plasma banks will be opened soon at MKCG Medical College of Berhampur and Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar to collect and preserve more plasma units.
The state government has modified its earlier order and said that the people with mild symptoms and asymptomatic positive patients are allowed home isolation and treatment both in rural and urban areas.
Earlier, it was allowed only in urban areas.
Bhubaneswar on Thursday reported the highest single-day spike of 126 COVID-19 cases, taking the tally in the capital city to 1,469.
The city has reported 11 deaths and 805 recoveries.